The Valkyrie Returns and Slays (Raven) novel Chapter 13

Ruth’s breath dopped cold

Being card oil we * good dead

Raven had just grate of prison. Roth waxed twr to go to colege, you some skatte.

With Raver’s record, even a part–time py was a bongo

Ruth conviri’t work either he had a young son to lesk when

If they got towed out, all three of them could darve,

Even if they scraped by, Margaret’s vicious streak wouldn’t let them of easy

Ruth freaked and dropped Raven’s hand.

She turned to Margaret, pleading. “It’s my fault she turned out like this. Punith me however you want. Raven’s just starting over–please let her off!

Ruth stepped forward, about to drop to her knees,

But before she hit the ground, Raven caught her,

Kaver’s eyes, usually soft with a touch of warmth, went stone–cold.

She said, her voice sharp and low, “I wasn’t planning on sticking around with Mom and Zack here anyway, You Kicking us out just makes it easier. As for breaking my legs…

A slow, sour smile spread across Kaver’s face.

She flicked her wrist with a quick snap.

“Crack! Crack!” Two loud pops rang out.

Margaret’s knees gave way, the sound of crunching bone tearing from her legs.

She let out a scream, raw and ragged.

The howl ripped from her throat, high and frantic.

Pain slammed into her like a freight train, nearly knocking her out.

“What’d you do to me, you little punk?” Margaret croaked, her voice rough with pain.

Raven looked down at her, steady as a rock. “You wanted legs broken. Yours seemed like a good fit.”

Loretta, kneeling by Miranda, snapped out of it first.

She pointed hard at Raven. “She’s your grandma, Raven! You don’t pull that on family!”

Miranda, still wincing from her own hurt.

She gripped her bruised cheek–dark purple from Raven’s earlier hit, tears in her eyes.

“Raven,” she sobbed, “I get why you’d smack me, but Grandma? Sure, she talks big sometimes, but it’s just ‘cause she gives a damn. You’re going to crush everyone who’s ever had your back.”

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22:24 Fri, 11 Apr .

Chapter 18

The Henderson crowd flared up at Miranda’s words, their anger boiling over.

44%

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“Raven, 1 figured a couple years in lockup might set you straight, one of them snapped. “But no, you’re worse–turning on the grandma who used to spoil you rotten.”

“Margaret should’ve let them throw away the key back then, another growled. “A heartless jerk like you? Death row’s too good.”

“When you ticked off the Jennings family, Margaret should’ve let them dump you with Gerald,” someone else snarled. “Trash like you doesn’t deserve air,”

Margaret clenched her jaw against the pounding in her busted knees. Hearing the family back her up stoked the fire in her

gut.

She thought if she hadn’t gone easy years ago–if she’d sent someone to kill Raven in jail to patch things up with the Jennings–this wouldn’t be happening.

Too bad she didn’t know what kind of moves Raven picked up inside, breaking her legs with a snap like some freaky witch.

Now, even with all her rage, she couldn’t lay a finger on Raven.

But then, it clicked. Margaret swung her head toward Jonah, standing quiet off to the side.

Her eyes sparked, though her face twisted into a sob.

“General Yardley!” She screamed, “Sir, you saw it–she’s trying to kill me! You’ve got to helo me set her straight!”